So far, we have investigated the bandwagon effect in both theoretical and empirical terms.
In contrast with the well-studied selection bias [1]}, [2]}, [3]}, [4]}, our experimental results indicate that the bandwagon effect mainly poses a problem for convergence without introducing noticeable statistical bias.
Yet
the effect is generally referred to as a bias by previous work [5]}, [6]}, [7]}, [8]}.
This raises a higher-level conceptual question: should the bandwagon effect be interpreted as a bias?
The remainder of this section will contrast three possible perspectives on this question that we deem valuable for the understanding of the field.
